Prakrutis

Every individual is unique and because ayurveda treats the patient and not the disease it is essential to know the patient's prakruti.
There are three DOSHAS known as VATA, PITTA and KAPHA and these DOSHAS harmonize the functions of each cell and are present in each cell. When the sperm and the ovum meet in your mother’s uterus, an embryo is created, the DOSHAS which are present inside and outside at that time are producing the PRAKRUTI; if the DOSHAS are in harmony, the baby will be in good health, if not, the foetus will not survive or will not be well formed. When one or two of the three DOSHAS are slighly in excess, they will create a particular constitution on the physical and psychological level that will characterize a person and will never change.

Knowing your prakruti is very important in ayurvedic diagnosis, because for example, a vata (air) person will tend to have vata disorders, the other type of sicknesses are rare for him or easy to dislodge. In order to prevent vata sicknesses, one should avoid food, drink and factors aggravating vata. In the same way a pitta (fire) person should be given remedies that are refreshing and a kapha (cold) type person should be given medicines that are heating. The prakruti are SATWIKA, RAJA and TAMAS. The concept of the mind is very important in ayurveda because it is always considered that an illness is physical and mental. Mental plays a dominant role in the cause of the disease. Psychological factors control the physiological functions in the body and vice versa. Consequently, even with the treatment of physical problems, some measures that act on the psyche are also prescribed.

According to ayurveda there are twenty base characteristics called GUNA that are classified in ten antagonistic pairs, for example hot and cold, slow and fast, humid and dry etc… Those opposite strengths function together. The universe in its whole is the manifestation of the two opposite bases, the male energy and the female energy. VATA, PITTA and KAPHA have their own characteristics and the substances that have similar attributes will have the tendency to agravate the corresponding DOSHAS, according to the law of the similar increasing the similar. For example the summer season has PITTA attributes, very hot, dry, light mobile and penetrating. Naturally in summer PITTA will be aggravated. The VATA season, light, subtle, dry, mobile, rough, cold is fall. KAPHA season liquid, heavy, cold, stiky, clowdy is winter.
The body characteristics can be changed in spite of the natural congenital tendency of the base constitution PRAKRUTI by consuming opposite attributes of someones' constitution. For example if a VATA person eats exclusively KAPHA foods he will suppress the light VATA characteristic and modify it into KAPHA during this time without loosing its PRAKRUTI.

THE MENTAL CONSTITUTIONS

On the mental and astral plan, three attributes or GUNAS match with the three physical DOSHAS. They allow to distinguish the human constitutions and the individual differences to the morals and psychological dispositions.

The three attributes are:

SATTVA express essence, comprehension, purity, clarity, compassion and love. People with a peaceful temperament, a healthy body, a very pure consciousness, practice their beliefs and are often holy.
RAJAS implies movement, aggressiveness and extroversion. People with a rajassic temperament are interested by business, prosperity, power and prestige. They appreciate wealth and are extroverted. They can believe in god and suddenly change their beliefs. They are very political.
TAMAS manifest itself with ignorance, inertia, heaviness, slowness of the mind. Tamasic people are lazy, selfish and capable of destroying others. They generally have little respect for others and they don’t have any religion. All their activities are selfish.

The practice of spiritual discipline like yoga can modify the mental energy as well as Ayurveda because the Vaidya (physician) can help the patient in the choice of a more balanced mental and physical life style.

Mental constitution

On the mental and astral plane 3 attributes or GUNAS correspond to the 3 humors that make up the physical constitution. In the ayurvedic system of medicine, these 3 attributes provide the basis for distinctions in human temperament and individual diifferences in psychological and moral dispositions.

The 3 basic Gunas are :

- SATTVA (adj : sattvic) expresses essence, understanding, purity, clarity, compassion and love. People of satvic temperament have healthy bodies and their behavior and consciousness is pure, they are religious and attain self-realization without much effort while rajas and tamasic people must make much more effort to attain this state.

- RAJAS (adj : rajasic) Rajas implies movement, aggressiveeness and extroversion. The raja mind operates on a sensual level. They are interested in business, prosperity, power, prestige and position. they can be religious but very political.

- TAMAS (adj : tamasic) manifests in ignorance, inertia, heaviness and dullness. Tamasic people are lazy, selfish and capable of destroying others. They have usually little respect for others and are not religious, all their activities are egoistical.

These 3 subtle mental energies are responsible for behavioral patterns, which may be altered and improved through the practice of spiritual disciplines such as yoga.

Vedicare was founded in 1992 and has focused exclusively on Ayurvedic products and services. Since then we have been importing and distributing high quality products that only come from India. Vedicare also organizes workshops and ayurvedic treatments.